


Given the Choice to Love You...

by Yato_Rolls



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-08
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-05-19 19:21:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 21,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14879693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yato_Rolls/pseuds/Yato_Rolls
Summary: Boyfriend scenarios, for the main characters in Naruto. Will do girlfriend scenarios if they're requested. I'm not good at writing gender-neutral stories, so expect female pronouns (soz).If there's a specific character you want that I've left out, let me know :D This will also have slow updates because I've work and college, but I'll try super hard to get one scenario out each weekAlso, Naruto doesn't belong to me, neither do the pictures I used. All respect goes to the original creators. The only thing I own is the story itself.Enjoy!





	1. How You Meet (The Konoha Boys pt1)

**_ Naruto _ **

It was another beautiful spring day in Konoha. You decided to spend your first day off in 10 days fishing at the lake a few minutes from the village. Nothing sounded better than a nice grilled fish for dinner and besides, at this time of year, the view of the lake was breathtaking. Flowers of nearly every colour dotted the shoreline and swayed gently to the mild breeze. This was the perfect way to relax. Well, it was for awhile at least, until you noticed a sharp tug on your fishing line. Surprised that you managed to snag something so soon, you began to frantically reel in your catch, (e/c) eyes squinting in concentration. This fish however did not want to be caught as it became harder and harder to bring in. Sweat beaded on your (s/c) forehead, but you were not gonna lose to a fish, this guy was going to be huge! Maybe if it was big enough you could invite your family over for dinner too. What you didn't expect was that as your hook came out of the water, an arm came with it. You shrieked in surprise until you continued to reel in your line (almost falling over from the fright). Out comes a full person, a boy, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, panting for breath, looking as confused as ever. 

"Oh my God! Are you okay?" you questioned, removing the hook from the sleeve of his jacket.

Said boy shook his head, snapping back to reality. "Yeah, I'm fine. Heh, I was gathering a plant that grows in the lake for my mission." he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I guess you caught me. My name's Naruto Uzamaki and I'm gonna be Hokage!"

Giggling at the cheesy grin on his face, you held out you hand to shake is. "(y/n) (l/n), nice to meet you, future Hokage!"

**_ Sasuke _ **

Here you were, (y/n) (l/n), currently living out one of the most mortifying moments of your life. After eating nearly your weight in ramen, ~~hey you were hungry after your last mission~~ you went to pay, only to discover that there was a giant hole in your wallet and all your money was gone. **Cue internal panic session**. While stuttering out your story and multiple apologies to Teuchi, you failed to notice the only other customer sigh heavily and get up from his seat to make his way over to you.

"I'm so sorry, I promise I'll head straight home and--"

In the middle of your speech however a hand reached over your shoulder to hand Teuchi money.

"That's to cover my meal and hers." Once he was finished talking, he turned to leave, sticking his hands in his pockets refusing to wait to hear your thanks.

You chased after the boy with the raven hair. Panting, you thank him, yet he ignores you and every apology you say. Annoyed you stand in front of him, effectively stopping him from walking further. He glares daggers at you. However, unperturbed by this, you plead with him to tell you how you can repay his kindness.

"You can leave me alone" he suggests, side-stepping you and continuing down the path.

Oh hell no. You are _so_ not accepting that as an answer. 

**_ Shikamaru _ **

You've come to the conclusion that you might be the most unluckiest person you know. 1) You've been caught in an unexpected rainstorm, twenty-five minutes from your home. Since you are somewhat near your local convenience store, you made a beeline there, hoping against hope that you'd at least be able to purchase an umbrella there. 2) Almost proving that the universe is out to get you, the shop hadn't a single umbrella in stock. Apparently everyone had the same idea as you. 3) It was now the shop's closing time, which lead you to where you are now, standing half in and half out of the pouring rain, praying to everyone and anyone you could think of that the rain will stop soon. After a couple of minutes silently cursing your life, you begrudgingly decide it would be best to just walk home. Now completely soaked head to toe, you are really feeling sorry for yourself. Staring at your feet, it takes you a few moments to realize that you're no longer getting wet. Looking up, you notice a giant red umbrella being held above you. Your (e/c) eyes peer to your left and you see a guy with dark hair and lazy brown eyes looking at you.

"Which way are you heading?" he questioned, a bored tone laced into his words.

You blink, not quite believing that you may have just found your saving grace, before pointing in the general direction of your house. You were so cold at this point, you didn't think you'd be able to form a sentence with you teeth chattering so much. He simply nods and begins walking that direction. You instantly follow, not wanting to be caught in the rain again. You both walk leisurely to your house in silence. Once you arrived at your house, you bowed and thanked him, asking if he lived nearby.

"Nah, I live near the store I found you by. I was just walking around, I didn't really care about where I walked to." he responded casually, before turning to walk back the way he came.

"Wait!" You called after him, "I didn't get your name."

He stopped, looking back over his shoulder. "Shikamaru."

"I'm (y/n). Thanks again Shikamaru. Good night." You beamed. Turning around, you entered your house thinking how maybe your luck wasn't as bad as you first thought. 

**_ Neji _ **

You were quite proud of the fact that you had befriended most of the cats in your neighbourhood. It had taken many days and more than a handful of bandages, but you did it. Yet today you are pretty sure you found your Kryptonite. A big white and brown spotted cat was perched on some steps leading up to a medium sized house. No matter how many times you called the cat, it just turned up it's nose at you and continued to clean itself. This was you second week trying to befriend the creature, but like all your previous attempts, it was a waste of time. You straightened up and pouted. What did you have to do to gain this little guys friendship? Even the can of tuna you brought with you failed.

"You can keep trying, but he doesn't like strangers, sorry" a calm voice called out to you.

Startled, you leaped into the air letting a little yelp out, before turning your eyes towards the owner of the voice. A boy about your age stood at the door of the house in front of you. He had long brown hair tied in a loose ponytail, and stood leaning against the house.

You blushed, "Do you own him?"

"No, he belongs to Lady Hinata" he stated, a small smile gracing his face. "If you come by tomorrow afternoon, maybe she can help you befriend him."

You smiled, nodding vigorously before turning on your heels and jogging off towards your home. Throwing a wave over your shoulder, you grinned to yourself. He seems nice, hopefully he'll be there tomorrow as well.


	2. How You Meet (The Konoha Boys pt2)

**_Choji_ **

Okay, so you were more than a little freaked out. Here you were stupidly walking through the streets of Konoha on your way home, ~~in the dark I might add~~ , and some creep was following you. Every twist and turn you took, he took the same. Every time you sped up, his pace quickened too. You took a glance over you shoulder to check where this weirdo was, and to your chagrin, he was closer to you than ever. You knew one of two things had to happen, you either had to start running or you had to put a stop to this. In a split second of him appearing behind you, you swiveled on your heel and punched the stranger as hard as you could into the face. Said man fell backwards onto his backside holding onto his face clearly not expecting to have met a fist.

"Owww! What the?!" he exclaimed, looking up at you. "What was that for?!"

"What do you mean 'What was that for'? You were following me you creep!" you yelled, face red with nervous anger.

"I wasn't--" the young man started, before realization hit him and his eyes widened. A deep blush covered his face has he scratched his cheeks bashfully. "I guess it does seem like I was following you, doesn't it? But that wasn't what I was doing, I promise. I just got back from a mission and I was rushing to make it to Yakiniku Q before they close."

You knew that place, it was the local barbecue place you lived next to and yes it would be closing soon. Now you realize just how hard you hit the man in front of you. A small trickle of blood was coming out of his nose and a nasty bruise was already forming. He'd definitely have to visit the hospital first to make sure nothing was broken. Guilt washed over you, there was no way this guy was making it to the restaurant now and by the look on his face he knew it too.

You stuck out your hand to the man "I'm so sorry! I honestly thought you were some creep trying to kidnap me or something. I'll help you to the hospital."

He took a hold of your hand and you helped him up. Putting on your best smile, you introduced yourself ~~and apologised fifty more times~~. On your way to the hospital you learned he was called Choji and that he was a chuunin. He seemed like an absolute sweetheart, which made you feel even worse about what you did. You promised you'd buy him all the barbecue he could eat next time you saw him. With that he went inside the hospital and you headed home once again determined to make it up to him.

**_Kiba_ **

There was definitely nothing better than enjoying the nice weather in your backyard with tonnes of cold treats. You were so rarely free from missions long enough to take a breath of air. A sigh of pure contentment left you (l/c) lips, and just as your (e/c) eyes fluttered shut, a loud bark caught you attention. Your eyes were met with two large brown ones, and a mess of shaggy white fur. Not gonna lie, it took you several seconds of staring at the large dog before fully grasping the situation.You weren't the type of person to be upset at the sight of a fluffy doggo though. You began to coo over him, showering him in love while searching for a collar or a owner nearby. Seeing neither, you decided to spend time with your new canine friend, even to the point of sharing some of your ice lollies with the gentle beast. Shortly after, the fluffball went on his way. 

This continued to happen over the next few days of your holidays. You weren't complaining though, you always wanted a dog but with you constantly on missions, you knew you couldn't look after one. So you'd happily settle for visits off your new friend. Today was different though, just as the dog enters your garden, he's suddenly followed by a tall brown haired boy with red marks on his cheeks.

"So this is where you've been disappearing off to Akamaru!" he blurted out, completely unaware of your presence. He wandered over to the dog you now know is Akamaru. "Come on boy, we've got training to do today!"

In response, Akamaru huffed, and trotted over to me. It was only then the boy noticed me. 

"Oh hey, didn't see you there. Sorry if Akamaru has been bothering you," to which Akamaru responded with a short bark.

"He wasn't a bother at all actually," you chuckled "he's good company."

You gave Akamaru his usual ice lolly, and held out another to his owner.

"I'm (y/n) by the way, want one?"

"Sure," he smirked "I'm Kiba"

**_Shino_ **

Everything was set up for this evening perfectly. You were planning on capturing some fireflies for your younger brother Shima. You and him were close but you never really did anything together, so you hoped that when he saw the jar of fireflies you had caught, he might be enticed enough to go and see the insects with you next time. Now you just had to find them.

After a brief wander around the forest, you stumbled across a small clearing and it was there where you saw hundreds of tiny yellow lights dancing on the breeze. For a few moments you had forgotten the reason why you were there, the sight was just so perfect. If only Shima had agreed to join you. You reached towards your poach to grab the jar you brought with you, but stopped when you heard a voice call out to you.

"Don't move, a rare beetle I've been looking for has landed on you."

With that he swung whatever he was holding at you. You flinched slightly but otherwise stood still when you realized it was just a net. Once he had placed the strange looking bug into a fancy looking bug box, you let out a nervous chuckle.

"Do you make a habit of catching random people in nets?" ~~when in doubt, joke your way out.~~

The strange man let out a stern sounding 'no' and turned to walk away. Thinking you had somehow offended the man, you jogged to catch up to him.

"Sorry, what I meant to say was what's your name?" you ask.

"Shino" was all he said before continuing to head away.

**_Lee_ **

Ah the hot springs. There's simply nothing better after a long mission, than to soak your aching muscles in the warm water. What makes the whole situation even better is the lack of any other people here. The place is completely deserted. Soon you find yourself on the verge of sleep. Your (e/c) eyes growing heavier and heavier with each passing second.

In your sleepy state the words growing in volume were easily ignored as your own imagination, but not more than a few short seconds later, a young man burst into the spring yelling about 'Youthful Energy'. Your eyes open just in time to see a guy with black hair styled like a bowl cut cannonballing into the water. Hot water splashes onto your face completely waking you this time, and you're furious. Who does this guy think he is?! You can't just jump into a hot spring like that! Then the obvious hit you. This was the female hot spring... and he was a guy.

The next few seconds were the scariest moments of Rock Lee's entire life. One minute he's enjoying his youthful energy, the next he was being painfully kicked out of the water.

You on the other hand were giving him the lecture of his life on boundaries and respect. Which finally clued him in on what he did wrong. He had gotten so excited to visit the hot spring he paid no attention to which one he entered. He didn't get the time to explain himself, as you had rushed out of the springs in anger and embarrassment. Lee would make it is own personal mission to apologize and make sure you knew it was an accident. Where to start though? He doesn't even know your name.


	3. How You Meet (Sensei Edition)

**_ Kakashi _ **

Kakashi is a busy man, but even still he gets time off from time to time. Even though he could be relaxing in his home reading Make-Out Tactics, the rubbish bin needed to be put out and delaying it would be a problem eventually. Removing himself from the comfort of his sofa, he took the rubbish bag out of the apartment. He didn't expect to see a pretty lady trying to pick the lock of the door next to his. Sifting through his memories Kakashi couldn't recall your face or even your name, so it'd be pretty easy to jump to a conclusion that you were up to no good. But at the same time he was a smart man, she could be his neighbour, after all he's never around to see or talk to them.

Taking a chance, kakashi put the rubbish bag down and headed over to the woman who is now gently cursing her inabilty to pick locks ~~I actually learned how to pick locks in college, it's pretty awesome~~. Kakashi coughs, earning the young woman's attention.

"You know if you're locked out, the super is always a call away"

You blush a little out of embarrassment and then sigh. "I've tried, he said he'll be here in an hour"

"So what's the problem then?" he probed, lightly chuckling at your puffed out cheeks.

"I'll be late to work if I wait an hour. Ibiki will kill me, but then again if I don't get my transfer papers out of my apartment, he'll probably kill me anyway," you exclaimed.

"Ah so you must be in the Cypher Division then?" he asked, one silver eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, just transferred there from the Anbu," with another sigh you give up. "Oh well might as well leave, I'm not getting those papers now anyway."

Kakashi chuckles and heads back into his apartment.

"Well if you survive Ibiki's rath I'll treat you to some sake, you'll need it."

Well, maybe getting an earful from Ibiki might be worth it then...

**_ Yamato _ **

You were spending the day with your two best friends, Hiyori and Yui. They had said you were too innocent to be sexy, and no matter what you said in your defense, the blush on your cheeks and drop in the volume of your voice would prove their point. So as you all headed out to lunch you pouted and sulked. Eventually you passed a lingerie store, stopping to look at all the fabric cut in sultry and smooth lines, you blushed at the thought of you wearing them. Gathering your courage you turn to your friends and asked "Wouldn't I look sexy in that?" However it wasn't your friends standing behind you, in fact they were nowhere to be seen. Instead you had voiced your question to a very attractive man who was walking past you. He stopped and looked between you and the pieces of material in the window, both of you turning red as the seconds went by.

"Yes, yes you would," he answered, coughing into his hand and making a hasty escape.

Great, just great. Not only do your friends think your too innocent for anything worldly, you also managed to completely creep out an extremely handsome stranger. Today was not your day.

Wait.

Wait a god darn minute.

Does that mean that that man admitted that you were sexy? Nah, you're just overthinking things, there's no way. He was just being nice, right?

**_ Iruka _ **

There was a few things you were sure of when you got the letter from your parents:

  * They were visiting from Suna and they'd be here in about 2 hours
  * You're apartment is a mess ~~the fun of being lazy~~
  * There was not a single morsel of proper food in your fridge

**Cue mother of all panics**

Rushing around your house, you were horrified to learn you had no cleaning supplies _at all._

**Panic intensifies**

You knew you didn't have time to go to the store for groceries. So you decided to do something against your better judgement. You decided to ask your insanely gorgeous neighbour if you could use his cleaning supplies and _borrow his food_. All this so you could fool your parents into thinking you could look after yourself properly without them. Iruka of course found your story the most hilarious thing he's ever heard, even going as far as to talk about how none of his student's stories have even come close to this. As for you, this was not the first impression you wanted to have with your neighbour. But Iruka was a genuinely nice guy so he agreed, he even agreed to help you clean. That in itself was a god send, until your parents entered your apartment and mistook your laughter and jokes as a sign of you both being a couple, to which Iruka played along with. 

It's fair to say that 'mortified' doesn't quite cut it. To make matters worse we've been invited to dinner. Why me?

Well... at least they think you can look after yourself...



	4. You Meet Again (pt1)

**_ Naruto _ **

It had been a few weeks since your first encounter with Naruto. When you had said your goodbyes, he had promised to buy you ramen to make up for spoiling what should of been your dinner. Yet you'd seen no sign of him since then. As you were wandering through the twisting streets of Konoha, you accepted that you'd more than likely never see the enthusiastic boy again.

Whilst enraptured in your own thoughts, a large sturdy mass rammed into you, knocking you onto your back. Yelping you grabbed the thing that ran into you to gain your balance, but instead dragging it down with you. The heavy mass landing on top of you and knocking the air out of your lungs. Your opened youre (e/c) eyes only to be met with tufts of blonde hair. The person soon moved up off you and once you saw his gorgeous blue eyes, you immediately knew who it was.

"Naruto! What are you doing?" you exclaimed, blushing worse than a tomato. After all the position you two were in could easily be mistaken as something else.

"Oh! (y/n), What're you doing here?" he asked, quizzically raising a blonde eyebrow.

"What do you mean 'What're you doing here?'? I live here. I was heading to the market to get food" you huffed, gently pushing him off you and standing up. "Anyway, what caused you to run into me?"

Naruto paled, remembering what, or rather who, he was running from in the first place. Suddenly a loud feminine shout of Naruto's name could be heard close by. Naruto gulped, quickly taking a pen and paper from a pouch on his waist. He scrawled something on it and passed it to you.

"Meet me here at 6, I owe you two meals now!" and in a panicked dash made his exit. You looked at the paper that had been handed to you. 'Ichiraku Ramen, see ya there (y/n)! -Naruto'

**_ Sasuke _ **

True to your word, you thought of numerous ways to repay your dark haired saviour back ~~besides leaving him alone of course~~. You finally decided on something simple. You'd make some rice balls for him. After all, you knew he was always training, yet you never saw him eat anything not that you were stalking him or anything. So you spent your morning making rice balls according to your family's secret recipe, and once the were done you wrapped them up and headed to the training grounds.

He was there like you expected, he always was. You found it funny since you always trained here at this time, but ever since the first day you met him, he started showing up when you did. He never said anything to you and stayed quiet while you rambled on about your latest mission. Even if he never talked to you, it was still nice to talk to him.

"Hey Sasuke!" you chirped, strolling over to where he was currently sitting.

He was obviously taking a break from his training as he was panting heavily and small beads of sweat were trickling down the sides of his face. You placed down the package beside Sasuke and began to unwrap them, Sasuke eying you wearily to see what you were up to.

"I finally found a way I can repay you for the ramen! Here's some of my family's special rice balls, dig in they're delicious" You sang.

Sasuke sighed, knowing you wouldn't leave him alone until he at least tried one. Your gentle smile grew as you saw him cautiously bite into one. His expression didn't change, but you noticed his eyes lightened up, only a small bit but still, you knew he liked them. With that you left Sasuke's side to begin your training. Once you were finished, you turned to Sasuke, only to see he was gone. The rice balls were gone too though. You smiled to yourself as you began to walk home. You knew he'd like them. You'd just have to make him some more for tomorrow too in that case.

**_ Shikamaru _ **

_*(s/n) = sibling name*_

Today was the day of the chuunin exams. You were there supporting your younger sibling (s/n), as they tried to win over the judges. The exam was in its final stages, with people from all over the five great nations there to see the potential of the new generation. However it was here that you saw Shikamaru again. He was the jounin in charge of the chuunin exam. You had no idea that this guy was a ninja, let alone a jounin. Honestly you were surprised, he seemed too lazy to be a ninja. But then again he also seemed extremely intelligent and kind. Well this was a lesson in never judging a book by it's cover.

The exam went on without a hitch. Your sibling had lost their first match, but they held themself well and proved their skills. In the end, it was their chakra levels that let them down, but you knew that with a bit more training they'd be fine. You had faith in them. You found your eyes drifting towards Shikamaru every so often, but when his eyes met yours the last time you looked at him, you kept your eyes firmly on the matches out of sheer embarrassment.

Leaving the arena with (s/n), you told them how proud you were and how well they did. You stopped when you heard your name being called behind you. Turning you were surprised to see Shikamaru walking lazily towards you with his hands in his pockets.

"(s/n) is very talented. I can tell with a bit of time and extra training he could be a great strategist." He said, (s/n) brightening up considerably under the praise of the procter. "I've some free time coming up, if they'd like some help training."

Shikamaru through a smile your direction and you immediately thanked him. No one was more happy than (s/n) though, their smile could light up the whole village.

Shikamaru then continued on his way home before turning partly towards you. "You can come along too if you want"

**_ Neji _ **

Following what that handsome stranger said, you showed up the next day, on what you now knew was the Hyuuga compound. Knocking politely on the door, a young woman with long brown hair answered the door.

"May I help you?" she asked, looking up at you.

"Hi, are you Lady Hinata?" 

The young lady shook her head, before informing you that Hinata was her older sister. She told you she was training, but that she was nearly done. The girl, Hanabi, led you through the house to the garden at the back. There you saw who you assumed was Hinata training with the man you saw yesterday. At Hanabi's introduction, their training stopped and both of them looked at you, the male recognizing you immediately.

"Sorry for interrupting," you nervously chuckled. "This is gonna sound strange, but I'm befriending the neighbourhood cats, but I can't seem to get yours to like me. Could you please help me?" You bowed deeply, partly out of respect for this girl you don't know, and partly out of the need to hide how red your face had become.

Looking up cautiously, you saw a gentle smile grace her face.

"Of course. Akemi tends to not like strangers, but it's actually pretty easy to win her over. What's your name?" she smiles again. What is she? An angel? A goddess? You didn't know anybody that would be this nice to a stranger who has a weird obsession with cats.

"(y/n) (l/n). Thank you" you blushed, glancing to the boy on her right. He seemed to be enjoying your flustered state. Yet it was his turn to blush when Hinata asked how you found out that it was her cat. Without missing a beat you pointing to the young man and blurted out that he told you to return today to talk to her.

A small nearly invisible smirk appeared on Hinata's delicate features as she glanced at her cousin.

"Did he now? Well I'll be busy with missions for awhile" Hearing this you pouted a little. This would mean you'd have to wait before you could befriend Akemi. "But Neji is free for awhile, and he knows Akemi well. I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping you"

Neji went to protest, but seeing how hopeful you'd become, he couldn't bring himself to turn you away. He sighed and agreed, regretting all life decisions up to this point. You however were ecstatic, this would be awesome!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow didn't expect to make Neji's scenario so long... whoops!
> 
> This was supposed to be uploaded yesterday, but I forgot I was working so it had to wait until today.
> 
> Anyway hope you enjoyed :3


	5. You Meet Again (pt2)

**_ Choji _ **

The morning after your first encounter with Choji, you decided to visit your best friend Tenten. See guilt was eating you alive so you decided to ask the only ninja you knew how you could find Choji. You wanted to treat him to barbecue since it was your fault he missed out on dinner yesterday. Tenten was no help though, because as soon as you told her what happened she started to laugh so hard tears started streaming down her face, she even started turning purple. After about twenty minutes of pure unadulterated humiliation, Tenten finally told you that around this time if he wasn't training he'd be cloud watching with Shikamaru. You'd heard that name before, wasn't he the one who was recently promoted to Jounin rank?

Getting the info you needed off her, you headed off in the direction of the building Shikamaru and Choji normally cloud watch on. Though you knew Tenten would continue to tease you about this situation until you die. Reaching the roof, you see the legs of two people lying back under a raised canopy. Making your way towards them you lightly coughed to gain their attention. Turning their heads towards you, you suddenly became shy. You could see a dark purple bruise covering Choji's nose, guilt literally stomping your heart into a fine paste at this stage.

"(y/n)? What're you doing here?" Choji asked, the eyebrows of his companion raising at the mention of your name.

"(y/n)? So you're the cute girl Choji's been talking about all morning." pondered Shikamaru, yet at his statement both you and Choji blushed like ripe tomatoes. You, because he'd been told, by Choji, that you were cute and Choji, because his best friend just exposed to you that he thought you were cute.

Chuckling while scratching the back of your neck nervously you introduced yourself. 

"Hi, I'm (y/n)! Nice to meet you," you said loudly, the sheer volume alerting to everyone how flustered you'd become. "I was just wondering if Choji would like to get some barbecue, my treat for last night"

Hearing this Shikamaru wished you both good luck and took his leave, saying it would be a 'drag' to be a third wheel, even though Choji hadn't even agreed. In fact Choji hadn't said anything, he was just staring off into space completely beet red. Waving your small hand in front of his face, he suddenly snapped back into reality.

"Sure, that'd be really nice"

**_ Kiba _ **

Every morning you would go jogging in the woods of Konoha. Just because you were free of missions for the time being didn't mean you could slack of. Jogging here always cleared your mind, your thoughts flowing but never settling on any in particular. Simply put, you were away with the fairies. Because of this you failed to see a large white object running towards you or the loud 'Akamaru no!'. Next thing you know, you're on your back with a large wet tongue lapping at your face. Still stunned, you just lay there until the large weight was pulled off you. Looking up you saw the young man that was in your yard a couple of days ago. A huge smile spread across his face when he saw you.

"(y/n)! We really gotta stop meeting like this" he laughed, scratching the back of his head.

"Kiba? What're you doing out here?" you questioned, still a little dazed from being knocked down.

"Well we were training, until someone took off running," he mumbled as he glared at his canine companion. "Guess he smelled ya and wanted to say hello"

You slowly got up and brushed yourself off. Smiling, you turned to Akamaru.

"Hi to you too Akamaru. But can you greet me more gently next time" both you and Kiba chuckled, as Akamaru barked happily.

"(y/n) you're a ninja right?" Kiba questioned.

You nodded in response, wondering how he'd guessed that.

"Wanna train with me and Akamaru?"

Well, how could you say no to that? Especially with Akamaru throwing you his best puppy dog eyes.

**_ Shino _ **

You were probably being paranoid, but you felt like whenever you were out and about in Konoha that you were being watched. Of course there was never anyone there when you check. It started ever since last week. You were out in the forest again, when a gorgeous black and green butterfly landed on your elbow. Your father had told you about these butterflies, they were Alpine Black Swallowtails. They were rare in these parts, so you were surprised to see one. Ever since then you felt like you were being watched. One thing you did notice though was that beetle you saw the night you met Shino was always there. Maybe you should find Shino and ask him why this beetle is so attached to you.

By the end of the day that's what you were determined to do. You headed back into the forest and towards the clearing where you first met him. It wasn't long until the fireflies showed up and then to your surprise so did Shino. He was geared up again tonight with some small bug boxes in tow. You skipped over towards him, probably scaring him, but hey you were happy you were finally gonna get some answers.

"Hey Shino!" You chirped, but he gave you the silent treatment. You expected it though, he seemed like the quiet reserved type. So you just continued on talking.

"Your beetle keeps following me everywhere, it's a little weird. Do you know why it's doing that?" you asked, as your head tilted to the side.

"I don't know what you're talking about"

Hmm, this is gonna take a little more prodding so.

"I know he's yours. I did some research on it, this little guy is super duper rare, there's no way it's another one. Plus they're fiercely territorial, your beetle wouldn't stand for another male being in his territory." Finishing your rant, you notice Shino stand a little straighter. It's hard to tell what he's thinking since most of his face and eyes are covered. But if you didn't know any better, you'd say he was impressed. "So care to tell me why your beetle is following me everywhere?"

With a defeated sigh he began to speak. "In the space of a few days you've had two rare insect species land on you. I sent my beetle to keep an eye on you in case any more rare species came into contact with you."

"Oh cool! So I'm like a rare insect magnet? Awesome!" you gushed. You had always be considered weird by your peers, for your love of insects. The only thing you hated were spiders. Eight legs, eight eyes? Yeah, no thankies. "Can I come with you while you catch bugs?"

"No."

"Awww come on!"

"..."

"Please?" You through your best puppy eyes at him.

"..."

"..."

"...No"

**_ Lee _ **

All Lee has been able to find out about you is your name, (y/n). Other than that he has no clue how to find you to apologize for his actions. He almost gave up, but Guy-Sensei managed to restore his youthful determination. While out in the village, he saw Sakura. She knew almost everyone in the village having treated a lot of them after Orochimaru attacked.

"Sakura!" he called, jogging up to the pink haired girl.

"Oh. Lee, what's up?" 

"Sakura. I was wondering if you could help me find someone. I accidently humiliated her and I wish to apologise" he explained, his sincerity clear to Sakura.

Sakura nodded her head and Lee took the opportunity to tell her the girl's name and what she looked like. Sakura's eyes lit up almost immediately with realisation.

"That's my neighbour! She's a year older than me, a Chuunin too. Bit of a temper though, but she's also really sweet" 

Lee thanked Sakura and rushed off towards her house. Thing is, he never asked which neighbour she was. Luckily enough for Lee he didn't have to look, as (y/n) was actually entering her house when he arrived. He rushed over to her, calling her name as he went. Turning to face where your name was coming from, you were met with the face of the last person you wanted to see.

"What do you want? Come to perv again?" you hissed. You may have said it with more venom than you intended, but you didn't know this boy, all you knew was that he was in the female hot spring and you took your privacy seriously.

"I came to apologise for the other day. It was wrong of me to enter that hot spring. It was an accident, I swear. I was just so excited to go I never noticed which spring I was entering," With that he bowed deeply. "Please tell me what I can do to earn your forgiveness. Fifty laps around the village? No that is not punishing enough. 500 it is!"

Just before he began, you called out waving your hands about. "No, no, no. You don't have to, really it's fine." 

"It is not fine. I have disrespected you so I must earn your respect back."

You sweat dropped just a tad hearing that.

"That's really unnecessary. How about you just buy me some ramen instead and maybe tell me your name? I'm starving" you suggested, smiling gently at the young man in front of you.

Lee perked up a bit hearing you say that. "Ok that is acceptable. I am the handsome devil of the Hidden Leaf, Rock Lee" he beamed, winking and sticking out his thumb.

His optimism was truely infectious. You couldn't believe you were pissed off with him a few seconds ago.

"Ok, lead the way then Lee" you grinned.


	6. You Meet Again (Sensei Edition)

**_ Kakashi _ **

To say Ibiki was unimpressed with you, was an understatement. He spent the first hour chastising you over your tardiness on your first day. After that he found out you hadn't brought you transfer papers with you either. The pitying glances you got off the other ninja passing by didn't help. So much for a good first impression. You were in the proverbial dog house for the rest of the day after that, being handed various assignments suited for new Chuunins, not Jounins of your years and experience. Not that you could complain though, it was your fault after all.

By the end of the day you were frustrated and tired. Fumbling in your pockets for your keys, you suddenly remember that it's the lack of keys in your possession that led to this day being crappy. Sighing heavily, you leaned your forehead on the door in front of you.

"Tough day?" a smooth voice rang out behind you, startling you. 

You spin around and see your cute neighbour, Kakashi, both hands in his pockets and looking at you with an amused expression on his face.

"Didn't mean to frighten you. The super left your apartment keys with me, figured you'd need them" he chuckled, handing the silver keys to you.

"Ah thank you, I was wondering where he might've left them." you let out a sigh of relief.

Before Kakashi could leave, you called out to him.

"Hey Kakashi, is your offer of sake still there?" you asked nervously, eyes glued to your feet.

Hearing a low chuckle you look up.

"For you? Of course."

**_ Yamato _ **

You were clumsy, a complete and utter clutz. A fact that attributed to your friends' belief that you were as innocent as a newborn baby. You had the grace of a newborn gazelle with all the luck of a bull in a china shop. All of this bundled together led to this particularly mortifying moment. You were in a cafe, bringing your drink as well as your friends' drinks back to your table ~~bad idea if you're clumsy, like me~~. Two tables away for your destination, your brain forgets how to put one foot in front of the other and you stumble slightly. However that was all that was needed for you to spill nearly half of your glass of orange juice over the stranger sitting beside you.

Babbling strings of apologies and grabbing handfuls of napkins, you fail to take notice of said stranger, until he laughs and tells you to take a deep breath. Taking him up on his advice you straighten back up. That's when all the blood rushes tor your cheeks . This was the same guy you accidentally asked if you'd look nice in lingerie. He seemed to be remembering you too, as his cheeks were slightly tinted with a rosy hue.

The white haired man sitting across from the victim of your clumsiness, sensing the awkward atmosphere between you two spoke up.

"Do you know this girl, Yamato?"

Huh? So that's his name? Yamato.

"Heh, no actually. We met last week, in town," he chuckled, earning a curious look from his white haired companion.

Apologising again, you gathered up the last of your dignity and started towards your giggling friends. Great, they'd seen the whole show, they'd never let this go. Before you could take a step, a hand gently grasped your wrist. Surprised, you looked back seeing the hand belonged to Yamato.

"Since we keep meeting like this, can I ask you your name?" he asked, cheeks still burning brightly.

"(y/n)" you replied, a small grin finding its way onto your face.

He released your arm and you continued on your way. Your smile slowly dissolving upon hearing your friends gush about how adorable you are.

**_ Iruka _ **

The dinner had been awkward to say the least. Iruka didn't seem to mind and happily chatted along with your parents. You on the other hand could not get rid of the red staining your cheeks. Your quiet demeanor was the opposite of how you normally acted around your parent and to them proved your relationship with the man beside you. After the meal your parents went to stay in a local inn as your apartment was much to small for them. You thanked Iruka for playing along for so long. You spent the rest of the night wishing there was a hole you could crawl into.

The feeling only worsened the next morning when you remembered all the food in your fridge you had to return to Iruka. Postponing it for as long as your conscious would allow. Packing all the food into bags, you gingerly knocked on Iruka's door. After a minute or two, the door opened revealing Iruka in his ninja clothes.

"Morning, Iruka. I brought you your food back," you smiled, holding up one of the bags as proof. 

"Morning (y/n). Sleep well?" he asked as he took one of the bags off you and headed into the apartment.

Following him, you were amazed by how immaculate the whole place was. It put yours to shame.

"I slept like a bunny," you lied, "Are you heading to the Academy now, Iruka?"

"Yeah I am, the students have an exam today, so it'll be a busy day," he explained, putting the various things back into his fridge.

Closing the appliance, he glanced at you, as you examined the different ornaments on a shelve in the corner of the kitchen.

"Do you want to walk with me to the Academy?" he asked, snapping your attention back to him.

"I'd love to," you smiled.


	7. You Hang Out (pt 1)

** _Naruto_ **

Sitting next to Naruto, you finished off your ramen, sweat dropping when you noticed Naruto finish off his fifth bowl. This had become almost a weekly occurrence between you two. He'd go off on a mission with Jiraiya or his team, then as soon as he arrived back at the village, he'd arrive at your apartment and drag you off to Ichiraku's. You weren't complaining, not really anyway. You loved spending time with Naruto. You had only known him for four months, but you could already tell you were gonna remain close friends. Even if you ended up paying the bill most of the time because he 'forgot' Gama-chan. Glancing over at the energetic boy, you wondering how you became as close to him as you were. After all, you were almost the complete opposite of him, quiet, reserved and introverted. Hell your house was near the lake, as far out from the village as you could get while still being considered a citizen. Normally people like him were draining to be around and you'd need two or three days by yourself to recover, yet Naruto was different. There was something about him that made you want to be with him, to experience the mischief that seemed to follow him.

A hand waving in front of your face snapped you out of your thoughts. Jumping back slightly, you realise just how long you'd been staring at Naruto.

"Earth to (y/n)! Is there something on my face? You're staring," Naruto asked, searching for a napkin to wipe his face with.

"E-eh? Oh, no, no. Sorry Naruto, I was completely spaced out there," you chuckled, scratching your cheek. Your (e/c) eyes looking everywhere except him.

"Hey, I was wondering if-" he began, before a much younger voice cut him off.

"Big brother Naruto!" You had recognised the young boy immediately as Konohamaru. He was adorable, constantly showing Naruto all the things Iruka-sensei had been teaching the class. "If you're free, could you continue to teach me that new super secret technique you were talking about? Pleeeeeease? You promised!"

Naruto looked conflicted, so you placed your hand on his and sent a light smile his direction. 

"Go ahead. You never go back on your word after all." you smirked, paying for the meal.

"Thanks (y/n)" Naruto beamed, running after Konohamaru.

** _Sasuke_ **

The last nine days had been hell. The flu that had held you captive in your home was finally getting the message that you didn't want it and now you were finally able to get back to your training. Heading to the usual spot, you greeted a very surprised and relieved looking Sasuke.

"Where the hell were you?! I've been looking everywhere!"

Taking a surprised leap backwards, you hadn't been expecting a third degree interrogation on your whereabouts from anyone, least of all from the boy in front of you. The surprise didn't last long though, as a smirk soon took over.

"Aw, did the great Sasuke miss me?" you cooed, knowing full well he'd deny it, you couldn't help yourself though he could be so fun to tease.

He grunted, walking away from you. "As if. The only thing I missed were the rice balls"

"Good thing I brought extra with me today to make up for the lack of my amazing presence all week," you chirped, smiling when his eyes whipped to the small lunchbox in my hands.

"I apologise if my flu ruined your week," you joked "Can't promise it won't happen again"

"Can we just get back to training?" he groaned. "Idiot"

** _Shikamaru_ **

True to his word, whenever he was free he trained (s/n). You would join them whenever you could. You and Shikamaru started hanging out more and more as well. It was a weird friendship you both had. Some days you were testing each other to see who's sarcasm was whittier, other days were spent just watching the clouds. This was one of those latter days, both you and Shikamaru were free, but your sibling was out on a mission. It was their first one and you were nervous, they did leave almost a week ago and you've heard no news of where or how they are.

Being the nervous wreck you now are, you asked Shikamaru if he'd go cloud watching with you. You didn't know why, but you always felt more relaxed when he was around. Yet you were still nervous, (s/n) was the only family you had left. You had always protected them and now you just felt helpless. 

Sensing your discomfort, Shikamaru looked over to you.

"They'll be okay (y/n)." he said, his hand gently resting over yours. "They're more than capable, their improvement since I first started training them is amazing. Trust me, they'll be fine"

You smiled, feeling slightly more at ease. You were lucky to have met him. Sighing lightly you close your eyes, enjoying the warmth of Shikamaru's hand. You soon found sleep for the first time in days. 

** _Neji_ **

A soft purr was heard from the cat on your lap. After weeks of trying to win this cat's affection, you finally managed it. This was definitely one of the best days of your life. Not everyone was as happy as you though. Neji was happy for you but also saddened by the cat's new found love for you. He had become used to you visiting the Hyuuga compound to befriend the feline and had become kind of attached to you. He was worried that now having completed your quest to befriend Akemi that you'd stop visiting him and Lady Hinata. Though why this upset him so much he had no idea.

"Neji?" hearing his name, he looked up. You had a gentle smile on your face, yet your eyebrows were furrowed. You were worried for him he realised. A rush of guilt ran through him at the thought of him worrying you.

"Sorry (y/n), I was just thinking," he replied, forcing a small smile.

"Well whatever thought it is get rid of it. I don't like when you frown like that," you pouted.

Lifting the cat into your arms, you made your way over to the Hyuuga.

"Hey I mean it, stop worrying. Whatever it is can't possibly be worth stressing over"

"It is!" he blurted, looking surprised at himself for his outburst. "Never mind, I've other business to attend to"

He began to rush out of the room, when you called out to him.

"Can I still visit you?" you asked timidly.

Neji stopped by the door and turned to you.

"I didn't say anything earlier because I was nervous that if I got Akemi to like me, you wouldn't want me to come over anymore. So I was wondering if it would be okay if I came over again" you said, gaze set on the floor.

"You can visit whenever you want (y/n). You never have to ask" he smiled, before leaving the room.

He was happy you wanted to stay his friend, he never realised how much he needed one.


	8. You Hang Out (pt 2)

** _Choji_ **

"Choji!" you called out, running up to the brown haired ninja.

He'd been on a mission with his team, and it'd been a few days since you'd last seen him. You had really missed him, no one else was a better eating buddy then him. With him you didn't have to hold yourself back, you could eat as much, and as fast as you liked, Choji would never judge you. So now that he was back, you wanted to go out and get food, as well as hear all the details of his mission that he could tell you. You'd always wanted to be a ninja, but your mother was sick so you needed to stay close to look after her. Not that you minded, you loved your mother dearly.

Choji had become sort of a regular at your house and you at his. Constantly watching movies and eating snacks whenever he had the time. Of course, this added to the fuel Tenten and Shikamaru needed to tease you and Choji.

"(Y/n), you ready for Ichiraku's today?" he smiled.

"Do you even have to ask?" you laughed.

Heading towards the restaurant, Choji started talking about how half way through their mission Naruto had appeared out of nowhere landing on his face, an angry Sakura and an embarrassed Kakashi following behind. Laughing out, you shook your head. You'd only met Naruto a handful of times, but you could picture the scene so clearly you couldn't help but laugh.

"That's why I love Naruto!" you giggled "He always makes such good story fodder!"

You continued walking down the path, missing the small frown that appeared on Choji's face.

** _Kiba_ **

This was how you were gonna die. You had come to accept this as your final moments, you had a good life. The pins and needles in your feet were now spreading to your legs. A loud snore emanated from your lap. Looking down you saw the cause of your certain demise. Akamaru was fast asleep on both of your legs. At first it had been fine, but after twenty minutes you became painfully aware of the 80 kg dog lying on you. You could have asked Kiba to move him, but he had made a comment about how you wouldn't be able for Akamaru's weight for long. Now it was a matter of pride and you weren't gonna give Kiba the opportunity to be smug.

"You okay (y/n)? You sure you don't want me to move him?" he smirked.

You both loved and hated that smirk, not that you'd tell him, his ego was inflated enough without your help.

"No, I'm fine!" you huffed, turning your head away from him.

**_*Silence ensues*_ **

You sighed loudly, knowing what you were about to do would stick with you for ages to come.

"Kiba?"

"Want me to move him?" he chuckled

"... yes"

"Akamaru, c'mon get up" he called, Akamaru immediately getting up to settle next to his owner.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it (y/n)?"

"Shut up Kiba"

** _Shino_ **

Eventually Shino realised you really were a rare insect magnet and after a few weeks he even let you start joining him with his bug catching. Shino was surprised how comfortable you were with the various creepy crawlies. So he figured what he needed to catch today would be no problem for you. You were excited to spend time with Shino. Under his cold exterior was...well another cold exterior but you could tell he took things to heart, even if it didn't appear that way. It's why you enjoyed his company so much.

"So what're we catchin' today Shiny? you chirped.

"Don't call me that (y/n)." he scolded, preparing his equipment.

"Aww... fine. So butterfly or beetle?" you questioned, head tilted.

"Neither" he answered, turning away from you. "Today I need to catch some rare spiders for my family to study."

Turning, he noticed you were nowhere to be seen, a small dust cloud settling in the air where you once stood.

"(y/n)?"

Sorry Shino, you're on your own.

** _Lee_ **

Sweat dripped down his face in spades. You were watching Lee train as you always did. He said that it helped having you there to criticise him if he starts slowing down. In all honesty you thought he was amazing. There was no way you could match him in stamina or taijutsu. It was your weakest point when it came to fighting. So watching Lee practise so hard was inspiring. 

You were so caught up admiring him, that you failed to notice that he finished his two hundred push ups and was now in front of you.

"(y/n). Could you please assist me in training?" he asked.

"E-eh?" you squeaked.

"I would like you to be my sparring partner today" he explained with a smile.

"Oh, well I don't know if that's such a good idea Lee. Taijutsu is not really my strong suit" you chuckled nervously.

"Well then, we will just have to train together until it is"

Two hours later, you were sprawled out on the grass like a starfish. Your eyes closed, chest heaving.

"Lee, (y/n)?" a voice called out. Great Neji is here to witness your death too.

"Is she okay?" Neji asked Lee.

"Yes, we are training together. We should be good for another few rounds. Right (y/n)?"

You groaned in protest.

"Maybe you should get her some food first Lee."

You shot up from the ground. 

"Did someone say food?!"


	9. You Hang Out (Sensei Edition)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so sorry about leaving so many days between uploading, I've been working all week, and there's a heatwave in my country right now. Let me just tell you 3 weeks sun + Ireland = a lot of pissed off burnt people. We are literally freaking out over here. This is the land of perpetual rain and cloud, now all of a sudden the country is warmer than spain and it hasn't rained in nearly a month!!!! The country is not prepared, I repeat, not prepared! There's even a ban on using water hoses at the moment :O
> 
> Oh yeah! That reminds me, I'm also working on a 50 heart special (I know it's a tiny bit past that now). It should be up by Sunday evening at the latest. Anyway, that's the end of my rant, toodles enjoy!

** _Kakashi_ **

"Kakashi, I'm starting to think you only like me when I have sake in me," you chuckled, lifting the small cup to your lips and taking a sip.

"Not at all, and when did _you_ dragging _me_ here suddenly become my fault?" he responded, a smirk appearing on his lips.

He had you there alright. You were the one who constantly insisted on coming to this bar and dragging your poor friend with you. Maybe you did have problems... But in all honesty, you were worried about him. You could tell he blamed himself for letting Sasuke leave the village and he felt partly responsible for the pain Naruto and Sakura were currently going through. Lately the only time Kakashi looked remotely happy and calm was when you barged into his apartment and dragged him here. On nights where you could convince him to join you, you would spend the night sharing stories from both your times as members of the Anbu. On nights where you couldn't convince him, you'd go back home, grab some clothes and blankets and invade his home for the night. 

That was the norm, you bothering him. Yet in the week since Sasuke left, Kakashi had been coming to you instead and rarely stayed in his own apartment. You didn't mind his company, but the fact that you didn't have to put in much effort to get your friend here in the first place set off all the warning bells in your head. He was also quieter than usual, tonight not being an exception.

Raising his own cup up to take a sip, you grabbed his hand gently, stopping him from raising the cup any further.

"Nothing is your fault Kakashi..." you affirmed, his eye widening slightly.

"(Y/n)? Can I stay at yours tonight?" he asked.

You smiled, "Do you even have to ask?"

** _Yamato_ **

"Really (y/n)? What happened this time?" Yamato sighed, walking up the stairs of your house to meet you where you were sitting, six or seven steps up.

Grinning bashfully, you scratched your cheek. "Well I was going upstairs and well I guess, em, that I may or may not have tripped and or hurt my ankle. I may or may not have sat here all morning cause I couldn't stand up from the pain. And, uh, I may or may not have left it until now to call you to help me. Hehe"

"...Right... Remind me again, how did you become a ninja?"

"The more clumsy you are, the more your enemies underestimate you," you gleamed proudly.

"And yet it was a staircase that defeated you" he sighed rubbing his face with a hand.

"Technicalities. Now are you gonna help me to the hospital or are you gonna make me hobble there myself?"

"And risk you hurting yourself again? Then I'd never hear the end of it." he mumbled, hooking his arm around your shoulders and his other arm under your knee.

"Yamato, what're you doi-eeeeppp!" you squealed, as he lifted you into his arms.

"What do you mean? I'm helping you get to the hospital like you asked" he stated, finally noticing the dark blush on your cheeks.

Confused to why you were blushing, it only took a second for him to realise just how close you were. A blush then sprouted onto his face.

"Eh.. Maybe a piggy back ride would be better?" he squeaked.

"YES!" you shouted, before letting out a small cough to regain your composure. "I mean yeah, if you want, if it's easier."

Why do you have to make everything awkward?

***sigh***

** _Iruka_ **

You were currently sitting upside down on Iruka's sofa, waiting for the young teacher to finish grading his pupils' test papers. He'd been at it for the past two hours. It had been mostly quiet except for the odd grumble from the man and the occasional "How did they think that'd work?". Granted you had offered to wait for Iruka to finish, but that was before your stomach realised you had missed dinner.

"Hey Iruka?" you called out.

"Hmm?"

"Not to rush you or anything, but have you much left to do? I'm getting kinda hungry" you groaned, your stomach chiming in as if to agree with you.

Iruka looked up "No unfortunately, this test was a huge failure, I'll be here for awhile. You can leave if you want."

"Oki doki then, see ya!" you chirped, jumping out of your seat and skipping out the door, leaving a very confused and slightly sadden Iruka.

After ten minutes and no sign of your return, he sighed defeated, laying his head on the desk. You had seemed happy enough when you left, but maybe you were actually upset with him. After all, you were both supposed to go to the summer festival today. It was the last day too, but he'd been so busy he couldn't go with you, but he'd promised to bring you today. But at this rate he wouldn't be finished correcting these papers in time. You probably knew that too and that's why you left. 

You made it back to Iruka's apartment about twenty minutes after you'd left. In the time you were away, Iruka had fallen asleep. Chuckling slightly, you made your way over to the sleeping man and began to poke him in the cheek.

"Here I am, after going all the way to the festival to pick us up some festival food and you've fallen asleep" you laughed.

Iruka stirred at the sound of your voice, a look of groggy surprise on his face.

"You're back?"

"Well duh, couldn't leave my knight in shining armor alone, slaving away without food now could I?" you joked.

"Knight in shining armor?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Nickname suits, since you keep saving my ass every time my family snoops around" you chuckled, chucked the bag of food at him, "Any objections?"

"None at all"


	10. Bonus Chapter (Itachi Uchiha)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by Shree (Quotev)
> 
> Hope you like it :) 
> 
> Thanks to everyone who has given kudos, commented and showed their support. You are all awesome!!

**_How You Meet_**

You didn't notice the black cloak with red clouds or the man's dark eyes that turned red on your approach. All you saw was a man collapsing to his knees coughing up blood violently. Being one of the hidden stone's top medical ninjas, you rushed to the man's aid and immediately began healing him. You suspected that he was suffering with some sort of hemoptysis*, probably caused by a hemorrhage deep in his lungs. You had seen something like this before and the life expectancy wasn't good. Your mother had developed the disorder after you were born and had died a few years later. You couldn't help or ease her pain back then, but you could help this man now, and you were determined to do so. 

At first when you had touched him he flinched, but in his current state he couldn't stop coughing long enough to defend himself or attack you. Now however, his shaking and coughing had stopped, his breathing and pulse returning to a normal rate. It was only then you stopped healing him and took a step back to look at the man. Part of you wishes you didn't, because you had recognised him as soon as your eyes landed on him. It was obvious from his attire that he was Akatsuki and the red of his irises was clearly the sharingan. Itachi Uchiha of the Hidden Leaf, wanted for the slaughter of the Uchiha clan.

Fear racked your being and even though you tried to hide it, you knew it was fruitless. The prowess of the sharingan meant that he saw your recognition of him before your fear had even kicked in. Taking a further step back, you tried to calm your heart. He would kill you for certain and there's no way you could escape him or even hope to defeat him in battle. But at the same time, if you weren't going to just let him kill you. Shifting your arm slightly, a kunai slid into you hand. He'd have to work to kill you, you'd make sure of it.

Before you had even blinked the Uchiha appeared behind you and disarmed you.

"You're a medical ninja of the Hidden Stone? And a proficient one at that. Interesting." he murmured, "Since you helped me today I shall let you live. Tell me your name."

"(y/n) of the (l/n) clan" you replied, knowing full well it was an order not a request.

The (l/n) clan was small, but well known for the amount of strategic ninjas it produced. You had taken a different career path than the rest of your clan, but you felt your talents were better suited to healing than fighting.

With a final look of curiosity, he vanished. You fell to your knees, the few minutes of fear was enough to sap you of all your energy. You didn't feel relieved though. Something about that final glance told you that you'd see him again. That thought scared you more than anything.

* **Hemoptysis** is the coughing up of blood or blood-stained mucus from the lungs

** _You Meet Again_ **

Laying on your bed, you stared at the ceiling. It had been months, months since you had seen the Leaf fugitive. Yet every night when you closed your eyes you saw the same thing, those damned sharingan eyes. They terrified you in every way. A reminder that you could train every day to become stronger, but those eyes would still see through your moves easily. Sighing you got up and made your way to the kitchen. If you couldn't sleep, you might as well comfort yourself with food.

The minute your foot entered the kitchen you felt it. The same chakra that made you scared for your life, the one that paralysed you before was now within arms reach of you.

"Why are you here?" you whimpered, kicking yourself for sounding so weak in front of the enemy.

"I'm here to take you back to the Akatsuki" he stated monotonously.

You spun towards the sound of the voice, eyes widening dramatically. There he was, in all of his terrifying glory, his sharingan glowing brightly in the darkness of the room. You couldn't make out most of his features, but you didn't need to they were forever ingrained in your memory.

"What?" you said incredulously "What could you possibly need with a ninja like me?"

"From what I've heard, you're the best in the village. Beaten in skill only by the Sannin Tsunade. I'm dying as you're no doubt aware. I must live for a few more years at least." he explained.

"You think I'd abandon my village and family just to keep you alive a little while longer?" you spat.

"You will. It's important for my brother that he be the one that kills me. And with what I've done to him, I see no better justice. He is not strong enough yet, so I must live until he is."

Your eyes narrowed in confusion, you hadn't realised that an Uchiha child had survived the massacre, you had just assumed that everyone had been killed.

"If you come with me willingly I will train you to protect yourself better. When all is said and done you may do whatever you want. But know that you _are_ coming with me now, one way or another."

You sighed "Fine, let me write some farewell letters to my family and friends. I'll leave with you then"

You left to go to your room without waiting for his permission. You were no longer scared, the thought of leaving everyone who ever cared about you occupied every thought. Just why were you agreeing to this. If it was not fear, then what was it?

** _You Hang Out_ **

"You're improving" Itachi stated, turning from you to head back into the hideout.

"And you're leaving early again. Seriously Itachi? A few minutes training here and there won't help me improve" you pouted, walking after the dark haired man.

"I'm sorry (y/n), but I've been assigned to infiltrate the Hidden Leaf. I must prepare."

"Yeah yeah, but one of these days you're gonna have to actually give me some of your time you know." you huffed, placing a hand on your hip.

He chuckled, before suddenly turning to face you, sticking out his hand to you. Not having enough time to stop, you walked forehead first into his two outstretched fingers.

"Ow! What the hell was _that_ for Itachi?!" you snapped, glaring daggers at him.

"You're still too slow. Maybe you should improve on that instead of pouting at me" he smirked.

You rolled your eyes, passing him and walking into the cave heading straight for Itachi's room. His room was bare, save for a small bed and desk. It was obvious that he didn't spend much time here. In comparison, you were here the whole time. It was the definition of boring and was partly the reason for you pestering Itachi when he was present. You spent most of your time in your room, reading books Pein had been gracious enough to lend you. The other Akatsuki members were just plain weird, so you did your best to avoid them whenever possible.

Sitting yourself on his bed, you watched as Itachi inspected his weapons and hid them in his cloak. Not that he needed them. Over the few weeks of being here, you'd become quite fond of Itachi. You believed there was far more to his story than him just being a heartless murderer. If that'd been the case, he would have surely killed you when he first met you. But so far, he hadn't told you anything and you figured he never would.

"Just be careful Itachi. You're over using your eyes lately. You know how dangerous that is, not to mention the stress it puts on your body." you pressed, watching him as he makes his way over to you, resting a hand on your head.

"I know, thanks for worrying"

"I'm not worried for you!! I'm worried about what'll happen to me, if you go and get yourself hurt or worse." you blushed, a small pout visible on your face again.

Another chuckle escapes him. "I'll be back soon" And with a poof he was gone.

Great, just great. What am I supposed to do with myself in the meantime? _Knit_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm gonna add Itachi to the Sensei chapters since he's gonna be in a kind of teaching role I guess. xD
> 
> If you have any questions or have any requests, feel free to drop a comment and let me know. :D


	11. He Saves You (pt 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by Rin Kagemine (Quotev)
> 
> Thanks for the request hope you enjoy the next few chapters :D

** _Naruto_ **

Ever since Naruto found out you could cook, he had been bugging you to cook something for him. He guilted you into agreeing to cook him something since he'd never had a proper home cooked meal before, or at least that's what he said. After hearing that, you couldn't say no. So here you are slaving over the stove preparing something you think he'd like. You just hoped it would be ready in time for when he returned from his mission.

Hearing the kitchen door open behind you, you smiled adding a few more potatoes to the pot.

"Naruto, you're back earlier than I thought you'd be. This should only take a few minutes more. Go make yourself comfortable." you chirped.

"Don't mind if I do sweetheart"

You froze. The voice behind you wasn't Naruto's, it was far too hoarse and deep to be his. You went to turn to face the intruder, but a kunai pressed to your lower back kept you still.

"So, mind telling me who this Naruto boy is? A boyfriend perhaps? A beautiful thing like you, he must have snatched you up as quick as he could" he chuckled, pressing the kunai slightly more into you back making you hiss in discomfort.

"Do you think he'd mind if I were to have a small taste of you? I promise I'll be nice" he said leering at you over your shoulder.

You whimpered, completely afraid of what this man had planned for you. He suddenly spun you around, this time lowering the kunai to your cheek, cutting you slightly.

Closing your eyes, tears trickled down your face. You couldn't get yourself out of this situation. 

"This will be -"

Suddenly, all the weight on you had been violently ripped away. Tearing your eyes open, all you saw was a flash of blue and yellow.

"RASENGAN!"

The next thing you registered was worried blue eyes peering into yours.

"...Naruto?" you questioned, before reality caught up and you gasp "There was a man, he tried to hurt me! Where is he?!"

Noticing how badly you were trembling, Naruto wrapped you in his arms, whispering words of comfort to you.

Once you had calmed down, you pulled away from Naruto finally noticing the massive hole in the wall of your house. From where you knelt you had the perfect view of the lake. What took your breath away was the sheer size of the hole. You'd seen Naruto's rasengan before and sure it could do some serious damage, but this was on a whole other scale.

"Sorry about the damage (y/n)... It's just when I saw what that man was doing I couldn't help myself. But I promise I'll help-"

"Naruto, thank you!" you interrupted, launching yourself onto the young man, crushing him in a bear hug. "Thank you so much"

** _Sasuke_ **

He didn't regret living the village.

He didn't regret joining Oorochimaru.

He didn't regret joining the Akatsuki, although brief.

However, he did regret leaving you behind, even though he'd never admit that not even to himself. You were of the Leaf, a powerful ninja too. You would die to protect the village and those living there. He would destroy the village and everyone in it, even you, for what was done to Itachi. At least that's what he told himself anyway.

He hadn't expected Zetsu to bring him news of you or his reaction to that news. Team Taka had originally been on their way to kill the new Hokage Donzo, but once he'd been informed that ninjas, under the order of Donzo were hunting you down, and that you were close to defeat, Sasuke wasted no time in rushing to you. From what Zetsu had said, you weren't far from his position.

~~~~~~~~

You were getting so tired, your body feeling sluggish, your mind clouded. Your foes were members of the foundation that much was clear. At first you felt this fight was in your favour. These two men were mid ranged but obviously weak in close hand-to-hand combat. Throughout the battle you felt you were on the winning side, but something had been itching in the back of your mind. This was too easy, far too easy, but by the time you figured their strategy it was too late. Your knees collapsed beneath you, tingles shooting up from your toes to the top of your thighs.

"You're probably wondering what's happening to your body right now. I shall explain for you" one of the ninja began, earning a glare for you.

"And you're under the assumption I give two shits about your explanation!" you spat, a murderous glint in your (e/c) irises.

"Tsk tsk. Such vulgar language from a lady is unbecoming" he sighed "But I'll explain anyway. We hit you a few times with our shuriken. Yeah sure they were nothing more than insignificant scratches, but you see these shuriken are covered in a mild tranquilizer. Donzo wants you alive for interrogation, but that's not really fun."

He knelt in front of you, grabbing your chin to force you to look at him.

"You gave us quite the beating, it's only fair we return the favour." he sneered.

"I've heard enough" a familiar voice called out, a chilling aura filling the clearing. 

The two ninja suddenly collapsed, a line of pure light protruding through their chests, a sound of a thousand birds filled your ears.

Unable to move, you felt strong arms surround you, lifting you up. The heat radiating from this person's chest was undeniably comforting. You had only ever felt this comfortable in the presence of one person. Before succumbing to the darkness you smiled. He saved you.

Sasuke... thank you

** _Shikamaru_ **

***anything in Italics is a flashback***

You lost count of how many days you had cried, of how long you had spent locked away in your room wishing you could hold them one more time. You wanted nothing more than to see their smiling face once more. The time since their death had eased the pain slightly, but losing the only family you had left, destroyed you. For months you could only feel the pain of their loss. Nobody could reach you. Nobody could understand your pain, your suffering. Shikamaru never stopped trying to help you, even though all his attempts were useless. To you, there was no way he could understand your pain, no possible way he could even comprehend it.

_"(y/n) you worry too much. It's a simple mission. I'll be back before you know it."_

They were always so sure in themselves. It made you angry at them. How could they be so foolish? Why didn't they retreat when they had the chance? Why didn't they save themselves? The questions hurt.

_"They'll be okay (y/n)." Shikamaru said, his hand gently resting over yours. "They're more than capable, their improvement since I first started training them is amazing. Trust me, they'll be fine"_

You had trusted in his words. After all it was Shikamaru, the person you had all the trust in the world in. But he was wrong. For the first time in your life, you felt as though you couldn't trust anyone. Your sibling and their team had stumbled upon two Akatsuki members now known to be Hidan and Kakuzu. An unfortunate accident, yet you blamed everyone for it. Then the news came.

_"(y/n), team 10 has returned from their mission. I think you should visit Shikamaru"_

_"I don't know why I should. I'm sure the mission was a roaring success as always"_

_"(y/n)..."_

_"I've stuff to do, now if you'll excuse me"_

_"Asuma has been killed in action by the Akatsuki"_

Looking back, you couldn't believe how much of a brat you had been towards Shikamaru. Once you had heard the news, all you felt was guilt and regret. Yet you couldn't find the young Jounin, no matter how much you searched. Even on the day of the funeral, Shikamaru was nowhere to be found. 

You had been awoken that night by a knock on the door. Shikamaru was standing on the opposite side of the door when you opened it. His eyes were puffy from tears he had previously shed, but he had a look of determination on his face.

"(y/n), I've a plan to avenge Asuma and (s/n). I'd like your help in carrying it out" he stated, a serious look in his eyes.

Of course you agreed immediately. At first his plan sounded like suicide, but you were glad you decided to trust him again. You knew it would never bring Asuma or (s/n) back, but it helped knowing the Akatsuki pair would never get to hurt anyone ever again. Shikamaru's plan helped a part of you heal that day. It helped you move on, if only a little. In a strange way you felt as though Shikamaru saved you that day. He saved you both from the misery of grief and anger, and now you could help each other heal. You both knew that their spirits could rest easy now.

** _Neji_ **

You weren't one hundred percent sure how you ended up in your current situation. Last thing you remember was heading towards the Hyuuga compound to visit Neji and Akemi. Akemi had become your favourite feline friend. But lately she had been acting strangely. Whenever you were visiting and it was you, Akemi and Hinata, everything was normal. She would curl up on your lap and purr, while you and Hinata would chat. However the story was different when it involved Neji. When Neji would enter the room, Hinata would go to make tea, and Akemi would abandon you, leaving just you and Neji alone in the room together. Not that you were complaining of course, any time with Neji was great, but it tended to be a bit awkward between the two of you for the first few minutes.

Now you were here, being used as a hostage. They believed that you were someone valuable to the Hyuuga family. They thought they could get a good ransom for you. You couldn't see these idiots, they had been surprisingly clever enough to put a bag over your head. So how did you figure them out to be idiots then? Well the Hyuuga were a proud clan, you knew they wouldn't do anything rash for someone who wasn't even one of them. You had even voiced your opinion to them, yet that ended with you being gagged. _Idiots_. 

You could hear the gang getting frustrated, obviously you had planted the seed of doubt in their head. Great, hopefully they'd see reason and let you go, after all they've messed up and picked a target that was clearly not important to the Hyuuga. For some unknown reason that thought upset you. You understood their position and why they wouldn't give in to kidnappers, but part of you had hoped that Neji, or even Hinata would make a bit of effort to get you out of this situation.

You hadn't been scared up until this point. You had naively believed they let you go, but after being yanked roughly to your feet and something smooth and cold put against the front of your neck, you realised you had been gravely mistaken. Yet just when you thought you were gonna die, a loud bang sounded from your left. The gust of wind that followed knocking you and your captor a few feet away. Landing harshly on your front, you let out a hiss of pain. After that all you could hear were loud thumps and grunts of pain, the clattering of metal on metal and an angry demand to know your location. Your ears perked at the sound of that voice. It was Neji's! Your heart soared with the knowledge that you were wrong, he came for you.

All at once your vision had been returned to you, the sudden bright light blinding you.

Neji began to fret over you, using his byakugan to give you a thorough check to make sure you were definitely okay. All the while you just stared at him, a look of pure astonishment on your features.

"Neji... you came for me..."

Neji just looked at you as if you had just stated the most obvious thing in the universe.

"Of course I did. You are my best friend, I'd never leave you in such a situation."

You smiled. What did you do to deserve a friend like him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not 100% happy with Shikamaru's, but I tried my best. I couldn't think up anything better. 
> 
> Hope everyone liked it though :)


	12. He Saves You (pt 2)

** _Choji_ **

A new restaurant opened in the Leaf and both you and Choji had been anxious to see what they had to offer. You knew this restaurant would be having it's grand opening today, which would mean that the food would be cheaper than usual to attract new customers. This was great since you knew Choji would try to taste everything on the menu and you didn't think your wallet could handle another Choji rampage.

Sitting in the restaurant, you were amazed to see just how large the place was, even Choji who was sitting across from you couldn't stop gaping at the various furnishings around. You kinda felt out of place there, it seemed way too fancy. You thought this place would've been like Yakiniku Q and from the slightly terrified expression on Choji's face he felt the same.

The menu was even more horrifying. None of the meals were foods you were familiar with or even heard of.

"Maybe we should just leave and go to Ichiraku's instead." Choji muttered, confused by the fancy terms on the menu in front of him.

"It'd be a waste for us to leave and have not at least tried _one_ thing. C'mon this fancy pants stuff must taste good, I mean at prices like this it would have to be... Right?" you stated, trying to sound positive but you were just as uncomfortable with the place as he was.

In the end, both you and Choji settled for the chef's choice of broccoli soup. To be honest it sounded terrible and neither you nor Choji really wanted it, but you both wanted something quick so you could get out of there and this was the quickest and cheapest thing on the menu. And it definitely didn't look too appetising, at least not to you anyway. Choji was already slurping the green soup down as if he was the most starved person on the planet. Shrugging you picked up the spoon and took a small sip.

It actually didn't taste too bad, definitely tasted like broccoli anyway. But there was also another taste trying to make it's presence known. Eyes widening, you felt a familiar tight feeling in your throat.

"Choji. Did the menu say there was nuts in the soup?" you asked, worry etched on your face.

"No, it didn't. Are you okay?" 

You started to wheeze, your lungs suddenly feeling too small for your body. 

"I-I can't breathe" you gasped, gripping the front of your shirt.

Choji shot out of his, scaring the waiter walking by you. 

"Was there nuts in the soup?!" he demanded, rushing to your side.

"Of course, they are in most of our soups, is she okay?" the waiter asked, finally noticing you struggle for air.

Choji didn't answer, he just threw some money onto the table and rushed you up into his arms. You could feel blood rushing to your face as your lungs heaved trying their best but failing to get the oxygen you need into them. 

In your desperate attempt to breathe you hadn't even noticed that Choji had literally sprinted to the hospital with you in his arms like some distressed princess. In fact you didn't remember much after leaving the restaurant, yet now you're in a hospital bed trying to calm a very angry Choji.

"They could've killed you!" he shouted, pacing back and forward, face red in anger.

"But they didn't. You were there to save me."

"What if I was'n-" he froze, feeling soft lips on his cheek. He didn't even notice you get up.

"Thank you Choji" You said, not noticing the quite obvious blush on the young ninja's cheeks.

"N-no problem"

** _Kiba_ **

"Sora, I said no," you spat.

You were never rude when rejecting a confession of love, but this was different, Sora was different. He was a pretty boy, the most popular guy in your year when you had graduated from the academy. You weren't blind, he was definitely attractive, just... well he was kind of a douchebag. He didn't like you, not in the slightest, he just wanted to let everyone know that he could get with any girl. But there lay the problem, he _couldn't_ get you. You weren't even remotely interested in him and this bothered him to no end. So every day he would try new and more annoying things to get your attention. At first you were flattered even though you knew it was only an act. The more you refused his advances however, the more frustrated and angry he got.

Which led to where you are now. Sora had a tight grip on both your wrists so you couldn't turn away from him, while he screamed at you demanding to know why you couldn't be like a normal girl and swoon at him. You hadn't wanted to hurt him, afterall you were the stronger ninja, and you remembered the Sora you had been friends with as a child. The sweet cry baby that used to follow you everywhere. You had no clue when you had drifted apart or when he became such an ass, but even still you had to find someway of defusing the situation before it got worse.

"Just give this god damn act up, I know you like me, everyone does," he scoffed, as he yanked you forward.

You didn't move an inch. Confused you looked down noticing an arm had wrapped it's way around your waist.

"Hey babe, I was looking everywhere for you. What took you so long? Akamaru was starting to panic" Kiba chuckled, leaning in to nuzzle the top of your head.

"Eh?" you squeaked, not fully understanding what the hell Kiba was doing or why he was standing so close to you.

"Who is this (Y/n)? A friend?" he asked, sending a glare Sora's way, tightening his hold on you.

"Y-yeah I a-am. I'm Sora, n-nice to meet you, eh...?"

"Kiba, I'm (y/n)'s boyfriend" he laughed, though there was no laughter in his eyes as he spoke. The glare was still there, and Sora clearly feeling outmatched backed off a bit.

A loud bark right behind Sora was the straw that broke the camel's back and in a split second Sora was gone, nothing but a dust cloud left behind.

"Tch what a loser," Kiba sneered, letting you go and continuing to glare at the rapidly disappearing figure.

"Thanks for swooping in there, thought I was gonna have to resort to kicking him somewhere were the lesson would stick"

He snorted at that before moving to pat Akamaru.

"Maybe I should've let you handle it then. That would have been a sight to see"

** _Shino_ **

Shino tended to think out everything, and usually had a plan for every scenario that could happen. He didn't expect to be woke up at three in the morning by you though.

"(y/n)? What are you doing here so early? Are you aware of the time?" he asked, disgruntled at having to put on his jacket and glasses so early.

"S-s-spider" you muttered, shakenly pointing back in the direction of your apartment.

"Spider? In your house? Why are you telling me this at three a.m.?" he huffed, a small twinge of annoyance in his tone.

"Please get rid of i-it" you stuttered, shivering at the thought of the eight legged freak back at home.

"No" he said closing the door in your face.

Dejected and very much afraid, you headed back to your apartment, a plan in place to keep you as far as humanly possible from the spider.

You stood at your front door for twenty minutes working up the courage to enter the place, when a deep voice called out behind you, scaring you half to death.

"Are you going to let me inside to get rid of the spider or are you going to make me stay out here all night" Shino sighed, dodging you as you attempted to bear hug him.

"Awh, Shino you really do like me!" you sang, cringing at yourself when a neighbour told you to shut up.

Shino decided to ignore you, taking the keys out of your hand and let himself into your apartment. Rushing to catch up with him, you sped past him into the living room. As Shino entered the room, he could see why you couldn't just leave it be for the night. It wasn't a huge spider, but he knew it was big enough to cause a pause in most people, and since it was directly above what he assumed was the entrance to your bedroom, everything made sense, except for one thing.

"Why is there so much clutter in front of that door?" he asked, a brow twitching in mild curiosity.

"Hehe... well I thought if i could throw something at it, it might scurry away and I could lock myself in my room..." you started.

"...But?"

"Well then I thought, 'If I hit it, I might make it angry, then what if it comes after me?' so pretty much after that thought, I was just throwing things at the air" you mumbled, scratching your chin in embarrassment.

Wanting nothing more than to go back to bed, Shino make quick work of catching the spider. He then used the small creature as a deterrent to you so that you wouldn't feel the need to globber him in a thank you hug. But little did he know as he started back home, you had a 'Thank you for saving my life' hug planned for him, and there was no way he was getting out of it.

** _Lee_ **

You were so tired. When you and Lee were sent to clear out a cave of bandits you were expecting no more than ten or so people who had little fighting experience. What you got however was twenty-five experienced rogue ninja, who had at least double the amount of experience you had. Lee was holding his own and managed to take out five men in one go, you weren't doing as well. Sure Lee's training had radically increased your stamina and taijutsu was no longer your weak point when fighting, but you still weren't up to fighting this many at once. 

After a few minutes you had taken down three of the ninja trying to kill you. This gave you a confidence boost that maybe you could do this. Your new found confidence didn't last long. A gasp tore itself from your throat as you felt cold metal push itself into your upper back. You fell to your hands and knees, shock wracking it's way through your being. A numb feeling began to spread from your back to the rest of you. Your arms gave out beneath you and despite the numbness you felt, you could distinctly feel something warm flowing down your spine.

"(Y/N)!!" was the last thing you heard before everything turned black.

You felt as though you were floating. You couldn't hear anything and all you could see was white. It was cold here, very cold, but as you floated forwards it became warmer, the brightness of the white around you becoming brighter. It was comforting and you wanted nothing more than to just let the warm current sweep you away. You couldn't think of anything but the warmth that was surrounding you. You sighed in bliss, deciding to close your eyes and just relax. But you found you couldn't, a quiet whisper was pricking at your ears. It was a familiar sound, just as comforting as the warmth. Yet you couldn't make out what it was saying. Conflicted between your desire to rest and your curiosity, you finally chose to seek out the voice, after all you could just sleep after knowing what this voice wanted to tell you.

Following the sound of the voice was easier than you thought it'd be, considering that you were just kinda floating in air. All you could pick up were random words, almost like clarity amongst static. You could hear your name being called, that much was certain. As you got closer and closer the sound of static got quieter and quieter, the room you were in was no longer white but more of a dull grey. Just as you decided to turn back towards the warmth, you heard the voice clearly say: "Do not die on me. Please wake up (Y/n), please." 

Lee?

You woke up with a gasp, a sharp sting of pain radiating from your back at the sudden movement.

"Lee! She's awake!" Ino called out, pushing you gently back down onto the blanket.

"Ino?" you croaked out, your voice hoarse feeling as though you hadn't used it in awhile.

"Shush, don't talk save your strength." Ino whispered, "You got hit by a kunai between your shoulder blades. You're lucky, a couple more centimeters to the right and you'd be paralysed from the neck down, or worse, dead."

"How did you find me?"

"It was all Lee. Once he saw you go down, he released the inner gates to defend you. He ran with you in his arms for two days trying to get you back to the village for help. He found us first." she explained.

"(Y/n)!" Lee shouted, rushing over to you.

Taking your face into his hands, he looked into your eyes determinedly.

"I will never let this happen to you again. I will have to train you more. I promise I will protect you."

"Lee, this wasn't your fault" you whispered, wiping the tears away from his eyes. "I'm just glad to be back. It's all thanks to you"

"I am glad you are okay" Lee smiled, warmth spreading throughout your chest at the sight. "Let us get you back to the village"


	13. He Saves You (Sensei Edition)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be finished on Friday but I was sick. Sorry for the wait!

** _Kakashi_ **

Your entire team had been captured by Stone shinobi. Most of them had been quick enough to kill themselves during the skirmish, you had not been one of them. Now you were being tortured for information on the Leaf, something you'd rather die to keep. So far the Stones' attempts had been unsuccessful. You had too many chakra blocks on your memories for them to be able to break through, but it soon appeared to them that your will was just as difficult to crack. They had broken your bones, placed you under countless genjutsu, forced you to choose between keeping your intel and saving your comrades. They were meaningless threats, you knew none of your comrades were alive. One by one you felt their chakra disappear, as more and more of them either died from their injuries or found a chance to take their lives. You hadn't been given such a chance, but even still you would go to the grave protecting the village, you wouldn't fear death if it was for the village's sake.

"Let's take a break, she's not going to say anything today," one of the older ninja sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Captain?"

"Make sure she doesn't get any sleep. Make sure the suffering doesn't stop"

~~~~~~

You weren't sure how many hours you'd been awake for. You had been tied to a water pipe, an old leaky tap positioned directly over your head. Drops of water would fall from the tap onto your head. At first you'd been confused as to why they put you here if they wanted you to suffer, but now you understood it perfectly. The water was dripping at random intervals, you couldn't get used to it. Sometimes you had been blessed with a long period of no water hitting you. It was then you'd begin to fall asleep, only to be shocked awake when a cold drop would hit you. There was only one thing you were sure of, you were exhausted. Your eyes stung, tears trickling down your cheeks. Your body felt heavy, especially your head. Reality was becoming a foreign concept to you in your exhausted state. You swore you could hear familiar voices, angry voices, sounds of battle. You wanted nothing more than to believe that those familiar voices were here to save you, but you knew better. You were going to die here, that was that.

You hadn't even registered the blinding light that was now flooding into the damp cell you were in. You didn't have the strength to look at your tormentor. Your face was gently lifted so that you could see the face of the person in front of you. Didn't matter though, your eyes refused to focus. But as he spoke your ears could immediately recognise out it was.

"...Ka...ka...shi?" you croaked out.

"Don't talk, let's get you out of here. You did well." he said, pain evident in his voice as he hoisted you gently onto his back. "Get some rest" 

** _Yamato_ **

Stumbling through the forest of Konoha bleeding out was not how you'd planned to spend your afternoon. This is what you get for trying to be a good samaritan. When a young girl had run up to you crying her eyes out asking for help, how were you supposed to know it was a trap? That little shit was a good actress. They were nothing more than bandits and once they saw that you were more than a simple civilian they tucked tail and ran, not before making sure you couldn't chase them. The little girl had surprised you by slashing your leg with a knife.

Deciding it was better to get backup, you headed back to the village. You were starting to realise this was probably the best decision you could've made. Not long into your journey, your leg started to go numb, a weird blackish colour making its way up your leg. Poison, it had to be. The more you tried to hurry, the slower you got and the further the black marks went up your body. Falling through some bushes, you landed in a clearing. It was completely devoid of people despite the gorgeous waterfall that lay just ahead of you. You had to admit you were confused. You had lived in the village all your life and not once had you seen a waterfall of this magnitude here. Limping you made your way to the crystal clear water. You had to try flush whatever this was out of your wound, even just a small bit, otherwise you'd never make it to the village at the rate its spreading.

Removing your pants, you were horrified. It had spread so much faster than you thought. Your entire left leg was covered in marks, worse still the marks had made their way up your stomach and were stopped right below your ribs. If you had to take a wild guess, you'd say its game over if those marks get to your heart. The mark suddenly grew slightly, stopping just below your chest. A shout left your throat. Shit this was getting painful. Grimacing, you lowered your leg into the water. You immediately ripped it back out of the water a split second after, the water caused the mark to burn. Coughing violently, you fell to one side catching yourself at the last second. Resting on your elbow, you looked down at the hand you coughed into. Specks of red now decorated your (s/t) hand.

"(Y/n)? What are you doing here?" Yamato asked, walking up to you.

You wanted to answer him, but your throat felt so tight you knew you couldn't speak.

Finally standing in front of you, Yamato couldn't believe his eyes. There were black lines all over your body, starting from a deep wound on your leg all the way to your neck. He knew it was poison, and judging by the spread of it you didn't have much time left. He lifted you out off the ground into his arms, heart breaking at the blood curdling scream that left your mouth. He'd never seen you in such pain before, it was hard to take. Without a second thought he rushed you to Lady Tsunade, if anyone could help you it'd be her.

"Hold on (Y/n)! I'll get you help!" 

** _Iruka_ **

No one was prepared for Pein's attack. How so many enemies had entered the village undetected was beyond you. Even still, you were determined to help as many people get to safety as you could. You were no ninja, but you knew this was how you could do your bit to help protect the village. For a while you were doing remarkably well. You had managed to get several civilians like yourself out of harm's way. Though everyone's luck runs out eventually. You had a feeling that the battle was reaching its climax, you wouldn't survive if you stayed much longer. One last trip and you'd get to safety too, at least that was the plan.

A child, a girl about six or seven was just standing there, eyes wide and trembling. Following her gaze, you could see why she was frozen. A giant orange centipede with weird purple eyes stood atop the building in front of the girl. It hadn't noticed her yet, but it soon would. Sprinting to the girl, you pushed her away from the building as a loud crash grabbed your attention. Turning you saw a large boulder hurtling towards you. You tried to jump out of its path, and as the dust settled, you felt relieved that you were alive. You started to get up, you needed to see if the girl was okay, but that's when you noticed it. A heavy pressure on both of your legs, physically stopping you from moving. Looking towards your legs in confusion, they were nowhere to be seen. That's when realisation hit you, your legs were there, they were just being crushed under the giant rock. And then the pain hit you all at once. You let out a loud cryvas you attempted, in vain, to push the boulder off of you.

Frantically you looked around you, searching for any ninja that might be able to help you. You weren't trained in medicine at all, but you knew you had to get help fast. If your legs remained crushed for more than fifteen minutes, you'd lose both of them. That's when you saw him, his back was turned to you and he was a bit of a distance away from you. But he was the only one who could save you.

"IRUKA!" you screamed, taking another large gulp of air and waving your arms madly "HELP ME! PLEASE!"

He didn't react, he just kept helping those he was near. Then he began to walk away. No, no, no, NO.

"IRRRRUUUUUUKKKKAAA!" you screeched, praying to God he heard you, you were running out of time.

That's when you saw him turn. That look of surprise, followed by recognition, then lastly worry will stick with you forever. You had never seen the man work as quickly as you did then. In no time the stone was lifted and Iruka personally rushed you to the medical ninja, never once letting go of your hand.

** _Itachi_ **

_*Hidan is in this scenario so expect cursing*_

"Hidan, let the girl go" Kakazu commanded, staring at his partner with malice.

"No, this little bitch is just wondering around our base, so I'm going to punish her." Hidan spat, pushing you further into the wall he had you pinned against.

"I told you already, I'm not some ninja infiltrating your base. I'm-"

"Shut up! Did I tell you to talk?!" He shouted, squeezing a little tighter on your neck to shut you up.

"I'm done arguing with you Hidan. I'm going to collect my bounty" Kakuzu grumbled, leaving you to your fate.

"You'll make a very acceptable sacrifice for Jashin. He likes the ballsy ones and you must have some pair if you thought you could get this far without getting caught."

Letting go of your wrists, he grabbed his scythe and made a little cut on your cheek. You knew all about Hidan's abilities from Itachi. He told you to avoid Hidan at all costs, he was too illogical to try explain the situation to. Up until this point you had been very successful in eluding the other Akatsuki members. Today had been like every other day except for Hidan bursting into Itachi's room having sensed your chakra instead of Itachi's. He immediately jumped to the worst possible conclusion, despite your best efforts to convince him otherwise.

Licking your blood off his scythe, he then made a deeper cut on your stomach and began to create that stupid symbol of Jashin with his foot, never once letting up on the pressure on your throat. When his skin began to turn black and white was the moment you truly realised you were going to die. Hidan raised his spear in the air and aimed it at his heart. As he began to pull it forward you clamped your eyes shut, waiting for the inevitable death rapidly approaching you. But when nothing happened, you dared to open one eye. Itachi was standing in front of you holding onto Hidan's spear. In a second Hidan was kicked through several walls, Itachi walking after him, his mangekyo sharingan appearing.

"Don't!" you shouted, grabbing onto the sleeve of his cloak "He didn't know, he thought I was an intruder"

Yeah Hidan was a jerk, but it was a mistake and with the very subtle look of rage in Itachi's eyes, Hidan's punishment would have been beyond hell.

"Yeah Itachi, listen to your little bitch." Hidan spat, pulling himself out of the wall he was smashed in to.

In an instant, Hidan was an his knees, eyes devoid of consciousness, a pained look on his face. Itachi wrapped an arm around your shoulders, bringing you out of the room and down the hall.

"Where are we going?" you pondered out loud to no one in particular.

"Moving you to one of the empty rooms at the edge of the hideout. You shouldn't have any more run ins there."

Nodding, you continued to let Itachi guide you through the various twists and turns of the lair. 

"Thanks Itachi, I'd be dead if it wasn't for you" you stated, looking down.

"Yes you would have. Why didn't you use the techniques I showed you?"

"What techniques?!" you huffed "I can barely use them since I haven't been shown how to perfect them yet. A certain someone keeps leaving before the lessons are finished!"

"There's the (Y/n) I know" he chuckled, brushing a loose hair behind your ear. "I don't like when you're quiet, it's ... weird. Though I suppose I have time now to finish your training"

"You suppose?! You better not leave early again you Uchiha jerk!"


	14. Bonus Chapter (Gaara)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by Cristina (Quotev)

** _How You Meet_ **

You were brought up to fear the red haired demon. You parents loved you and were kind people, so when they told you he was a monster to be feared and told you to stay away from him, you did. You didn't fully understand how or why he was a monster, but you believed that your mom and dad knew what they were talking about when they warned you about him. So everyday you avoided the young boy, although your kind heart hurt at the lonely glint in his eyes.

Yet as you saw the young boy attempting to join in on a game of football one day, your heart broke as the other children ran away crying 'monster!'. Seeing the young boy sitting alone on the road, tears streaming down his pale cheeks, you began to question what your parents had told you. How could a boy simply wanting to join in on the fun be the monster the whole village was scared of? To you he didn't look particularly threatening. He looked just like any other child in the village, except for the sadness that clouded his eyes.

You wanted nothing more than to be this boy's friend, to comfort him and let him know he wasn't alone anymore. But your father's words kept flashing through your mind. 'He's a monster (Y/n). He's killed people, and he will not hesitate to kill you. Remember that'. It was only then you noticed his green eyes glued to yours, a brief glimmer of hope in them. An immediate sense of guilt swarmed you, making you avert your gaze to the ground.

You felt conflicted. Befriending the boy would mean betraying the parents who loved you and just wanted you to be safe. Even still, not befriending the boy would mean ignoring who you were, and you didn't know which was worse.

"I'm sorry," you whispered, before turning to walk home.

** _You Meet Again_ **

Several years had past, yet nothing had changed. Sure you had grown up a bit, but the fear the villagers had for the red haired demon had only increased. You had decided to ignore how you felt and once again avoided the boy, yet that decision still didn't sit right with you no matter how hard you tried. You kept running into him everywhere you went, it was almost as if fate had diferent plans for you.

Normally when you'd accidentally found yourself on the same path as him you would simply duck into an alleyway. But today was different. The situation was the same, you and him walking towards each other on a near empty street. However when his eyes met yours, you found you couldn't run away and hide like you normally would. You had noticed that his eyes, once a light shade of green heavy with loneliness, were now dark and filled with hatred and anger. You couldn't help but feel partly responsible for the dark in those beautiful eyes.

The next thing you noticed as he neared you was the blood on his clothes. Thinking he was hurt you gasped and rushed to his side, asking where he was hurt and if he needed healing. Sure you'd only just started training to become a medical ninja, but if he was injured you had to try your best to heal him.

"It's not my blood," he murmured, staring at you with mild surprise.

"Oh"

"It belongs to the assassin's my father sent to kill me" he explained, not wanting to scare away the first person in years to show concern for his well being, although he didn't understand why he felt that way.

Your eyes widened in horror. His own father was trying to kill him. You knew how the village viewed him, but even still you thought his father, the kazekage, would die to protect his son. Yet in reality, just like everyone else, he wanted him dead.

"Why are you here?" he asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion. 

"I thought you were hurt. I know a small bit of medical ninjutsu and I thought I could help."

"You...were _concerned_?" he pondered, as if the whole concept was foreign to him.

"Of course, I wouldn't want anyone in this village to be hurt."

"You're not scared?"

Eyes widening once again, you finally understood the reason behind the string of questions. You were worried about him and that confused him. He probably had little to no one worrying about his safety.

"I was at first, but I'm not now."

"You are strange" he stated, throwing a questioning look your way, still not trusting you.

"Heh I guess I am. My name's (Y/n) by the way. It's nice to finally talk to you" you smiled, genuinely happy you finally talked to this so-called 'monster'.

"G-gaara" he stuttered out, completely at a loss of how to take your kindness.

Today his heart hurt, but the pain was different to what he normally felt. It was ... nice ...

** _You Hang Out_ **

"Lord Gaara, close your eyes please" you chirped, bouncing into his office.

"(Y/n)? What're you doing here?" he asked.

"No questions, c'mon just close your eyes".

Finally giving in, his green eyes shut. Taking both hands from behind your back, you held the small present in front of him.

"Ok you can open them again"

In front of him he saw a little cactus with a bright yellow flower blooming on top of it. But it was the light blush and the beaming smile on your face that really took his breath away.

"What is this?"

"A cactus?" you replied with a smirk, before changing your answer seeing his deadpan expression. "A present. For becoming Kazekage"

"A present? I've never had one before. You didn't need to do this" he said, a small smile showing through his normally stoic expression.

"Of course I didn't, but I wanted to. I'm so proud of you Gaara"

Now was his time to blush. He was glad you became his friend all those months ago. He honestly didn't know what he'd do without you. He'd known from the moment he first saw you, all the way back when he was just a child, that there was something different about you. He could see how conflicted you were between approaching him and listening to whatever he was sure your parent's were saying to try keep you safe. He was never upset that you chose to listen to them, he was just happy that you spoke to him that day and then stuck by his side.

"Thank you... for everything"

** _He Saves You_ **

"Gaara, why aren't you asleep yet?" you asked, having entered his office seeing that the light was still on.

"I could ask the same of you (Y/n)." he chuckled, before turning to look out the window, "I will soon, I just need to check something out"

"Oh ok, no problem. I'm gonna head home then, see you tomorrow, night Gaara."

"Night (Y/n)."

You hadn't got far to walk home, but even still the walk was feeling longer than usual. You were convinced there was someone watching you. Deciding not to ignore your instincts, you headed back to get Gaara or Kankuro to walk you home. You weren't going to take the chance if there was someone out there. When you turned though, you received a sharp knock to the back of your head. A flash of black, red and yellow filling your vision before darkness took over.

When you finally woke up, you were in a clean bed, surrounded by people you recognised, rushing to and from the person in the bed next to you. Stumbling out of your bed, you shakingly made your way to the next.

"Kankuro!" you cried out, seeing how sick your normally arrogant friend looked.

Suddenly you were being pulled back by a pink haired girl with a Leaf headband.

"What the hell is going on around here?! Where's Lord Gaara? Why is there Leaf ninja here?" you shouted, the room becoming suddenly more solemn at the mention of the kazekage's name.

"My name is Sakura. I'm a medical Chuunin from the Leaf. A few nights ago the Akatsuki invaded your village. They kidnapped, poisoned and used you as a hostage so they could get to Gaara." Sakura explained, pausing to give you a chance to absorb what she was saying. "Gaara fought with one of them and managed to save you in the process. But in his weakened state they managed to captured him. Kankuro had a run in with the other Akatsuki member and got badly poisoned.

"I've managed to administer a cure, but it will take a few days before he's able to move around again. Before you ask, we have a group of skilled ninja, including myself preparing to track down the Akatsuki and rescue Gaara."

"I've got to help. Give me a minute to get dress" you said.

"No!" Sakura commanded, earning a look of surprise from you. "I've heard from Lady Chiyo, that you're a skilled medical ninja. I need you to stay here and watch Kankuro's condition until me and Lady Chiyo return."

Seeing the unfortunate sense in what she was saying, you unwillingly agreed to stay behind. Tears began to well up in your eyes, but you refused to let outsiders see you in a vulnerable state. The second they all left, you collapsed to your knees beside Kankuro's bed and cried.

"Gaara, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault. Please come back alive"


	15. You Save Him (pt 1)

**_ Naruto _ **

You have just learned a powerful lesson. What is that lesson you may ask? Well, it's very simple actually, don't let Naruto talk you into playing a prank on Sakura. And why did you agree to such a stupid and dangerous thing? You see, Naruto has this way about him that make you want to follow him, to believe in him. Which led you to this moment in your life, you running fearfully through the streets of Konoha with a very murderous Sakura chasing after you. You had lost sight of Naruto a few minutes ago, you presumed the lucky dork managed to get away, and as such you began to ask yourself a very important question.

"WHY ARE YOU CHASING ME INSTEAD OF NARUTO?!" you screeched back at Sakura, swerving and dashing through the busy afternoon streets.

You managed to pull off a few crazy twists and turns, almost completely losing sight of Sakura when you saw the mother of all hiding places. It wasn't quite big enough to be called an alley, but was a big enough gap between two buildings for a person to fit into. Seizing this valuable opportunity, you legged it towards the building and flattened yourself against the wall. Your entire body was shaking, you could fill the adrenaline coursing through your veins, preparing you to get the hell out of dodge should Sakura close in on you. 

A flurry of pink shot past your hiding place, but didn't stop to investigate, a fact you were very much grateful for. As you took the time to get oxygen back into your body, you heard the panicked yells of the only doofus you knew, bounding up the path towards you. Before he could run past you, you grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back into your hidey hole. Not before he let out the girliest screech ever.

"Naruto shut up! It's me you idiot!" you whispered harshly at the boy in front of you, whose eyes were so scrunched up you had to wonder how he hadn't pushed his eyes back into his skull.

"Eh?" he said, opening one eye to look at his captor. "Oh (Y/n), it's you. I thought for certain Sakura had found me."

A visible shudder ran down both of your spines at the thought. Guess what your fabulous brain then decided to realise. Looking down you realised there was no space between you and Naruto. After all, the gap you were both in was only wide enough for yourself to stand comfortably in. For the two of you, however, it meant being pressed up right against each other with little to no breathing room. Cue the onslaught of blushing.

"(Y/n)? You ok? You're gone awfully red" Naruto questioned, raising a hand to your forehead. "Like you're really hot right now"

Finally reaching your limit for how mortified you could be for one day, you launched Naruto back out into the street like a shuriken. Naruto lay on the ground for a moment contemplating his new upside down view of the world. Realising the sheer stupidity of how you reacted you rushed out to see if he was ok. He had to be concussed or something, he's never this quiet for this long. 

Of course that's when you realised you _had_ managed to save both of your asses, that you both would _have _stayed safe if you both _had_ stayed where you were...__

__"Oh there you both are... I was wondering where you both ran off to." came the sickenly calm voice of the one and only Sakura._ _

__...Crap._ _

__**_ Sasuke _ ** _ _

__You were confused. And I mean really, ridiculously confused. You were training, nothing new there, yet Sasuke was being swarmed by his usual group of fangirls. Which in itself is also kind of the same old thing. What was confusing you was the pleading looks that he was throwing your way. Anyone else might not have been able to see how uncomfortable he was with that stoic facade he keeps up, but you were not everyone else. You could see the sheer lack of comfort written on his face, it was as clear as day to you. Yet instead of rushing to his aid, you leaned back on the post you had been training with. You just couldn't decide... Should you help the boy? Or let him suffer? After all, it wasn't every day you could watch the tall and mighty Sasuke fail to get out of a tough situation._ _

__It wasn't until the third, or maybe fourth look he sent your way, that you relented. Strolling over to where he was pretty much being swarmed, you smirked._ _

__"Oi Sasuke! Stop flirting with these girls and help me would ya?" you said jokingly, however the glare you sent the fangirls screamed murder, and that was seemingly enough for them to scatter to the four winds. "Your knight in shining armour has arrived! Feel free to offer as much gratitude as you deem necessary for such a heroic act!"_ _

__"Tch. I didn't ask for your help. I was doing fine." he sighed, pushing passed you and heading home._ _

__"Yeah 'cause those desperate looks you kept sending me totally screamed 'I got this!'" you laughed, jogging to catch up to him._ _

__"There was no look"_ _

__"Oh there was definitely looks going on!"_ _

__"Go home and leave me alone."he sighed, clearly defeated by the whole show._ _

__"Awh don't worry. I'll keep it a secret that you need my help to get away from girls~ Night Sasuke~" you sang._ _

__"...I hate you"_ _

__**_ Shikamaru _ ** _ _

__You had never seen a poison take a hold of someone so quickly. If only you hadn't been so careless, Shikamaru wouldn't be in this condition he was in. That big idiot, what was he thinking? For a smart guy, he really is the dumbest person you know. He shouldn't have jumped in front of you, he shouldn't have been the one to get hit. Idiot._ _

__Now he was in critical condition, and what's worse is that we were days away from the village, from any village. You had cradled his head in your lap, trying desperately to lower his ever increasing temperature. You then left Choji with Shikamaru to go in search of help. You knew Sakura was on a mission but if you were correct her journey should be taking her through here soon. You just had to hope you could find her before... before..._ _

__It had been one of the worst hours of your life, but when you found her, the relief was indescribable. The only thing you could focus on was the blurred image of a very shocked Sakura in front of you. Before she had time to question you, you grabbed her by the wrist and began to pull her in the direction you came from._ _

__"Shikamaru..." you choked out, "He's been poisoned"_ _

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

___Shikamaru's P.O.V._ _ _

__Thirsty... So thirsty. Everything hurts. What happened to me in that mission? Man, what a drag. Why do I feel so bad? Why am I worried? Who should I be protecting right now?_ _

__(Y/n)._ _

___Your P.O.V.__ _

__"...(/n)..."_ _

__Upon hearing a hoarse voice call your name, your head shot up from its resting place on the hospital bed. Throwing yourself out of your chair you leaned over Shikamaru, happy tears trailing down your cheeks._ _

__"I'm right here. Do you need anything? Water?"_ _

__A small head nod is all you needed before filling him a glass and bringing it up to his lips._ _

__"What happened?" he asked, voice still cracking._ _

__"You got hit with a poisoned kunai that was meant for me." you mumbled, ashamed with what you had put your best friend through._ _

__"And how did I get here? How am I alive?"_ _

__You lowered your head._ _

__"I managed to find Sakura, she knew the type of poison it was and was able to create some medicine that could slow down the toxin long enough for me to get you back here."_ _

__You felt a weak hand lift your chin until you were looking eye to eye with him._ _

__"Thank you."_ _

__**_ Neji _ ** _ _

__Neji didn't mind doing the things that were expected of him in his clan. Sure he hated the fact that he wasn't free like the main branch, but since meeting Naruto, he had a new perspective on life. He found joy in helping Hinata, where once there was only annoyance. He found forgiveness towards the main branch, where there was only hatred and anger before. Since meeting you, he's learned the joy of relaxing, although he never takes the time to properly enjoy it, it's at least a work in progress._ _

__But then this day comes around. The day that still haunts him and fills him with anger no matter how happy he had been in the days leading up to it. It was the anniversary of his father's death... or murder, depending on Neji's mood. It was the only day he was permitted to be left alone, the only day he'd permit himself to be sad, to be angry. All of this annoyed you, of course. Not at him, you could never be annoyed at him. You just really hated how he suppressed his emotions, and how some members of the main branch still looked down on him, even though he's proved himself time and time again._ _

__Maybe it was because of how these things made you feel, that you were the only one Neji agreed to see today. Maybe that's why he allowed you to be one of the very few that saw him cry. You couldn't possibly say anything to comfort him. After all, you were a nobody who chased cats and makes friends with anybody who has one. All you could do was hold him as he cried._ _

__But that was all he needed. He needed to share his pain and you were the only one he felt understood him. Even if you said nothing, he still felt calmed by your presence. He knew that there was nothing you could say, but the way you held him, told him more than words ever could._ _

__Just **by being there**. He felt safe._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooooo boy! I may have had severe writer's block. But I think I should be able to get back on track ^_^'''
> 
> Anyway here's the next chapter, hope you liked it ^^
> 
> Also for any of you that like Yona of the Dawn (Akatsuki no Yona), I'm thinking about writing a proper story for it, cause there's so very few fanfics for it and it bothers me xD so let me know if that's something any of you would like.
> 
> I have nearly no classes on Tuesdays, so I'll try get another chapter up for ye by then (Don't hold me to that though, i'm very lazy ^^')


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